Blogs

Our blogs provide fresh, impassioned and authoritative commentary and insight about the variety of civil-liberties issues that the ACLU of Michigan takes up each day in our courts, governments and communities.

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With the help of dedicated volunteers and community activists, the ACLU of Michigan works to raise awareness about the importance of preserving the individual rights and liberties that are guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.

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The ACLU of Michigan is one of more than 50 affiliates in the United States. As such, we encourage you to know as much as possible about your civil liberties. Further, if you feel those liberties have been violated, we suggest you submit a complaint. We only accept complaints that occur within the State of Michigan. If your complaint arose in a state other than Michigan, you must contact the ACLU office in that state.

About Us

Since our founding in 1920, the American Civil Liberties Union has led the fight to conserve our most precious liberties. Through the passion of our supporters, we have grown from a roomful of civil liberties activists to an organization of more than 500,000 active members and supporters with 54 state affiliate offices as well as a legislative office in Washington, DC.

Criminal Justice

The Bill of Rights protects all people, including suspects, defendants, offenders, prisoners and undocumented immigrants. All too often, the rights of those involved in the criminal justice system are compromised or ignored. The ACLU is working to reform the criminal justice system and make the promise of fair treatment a reality for all people.

Supporting Black Labor: Ending Criminal Record Exclusions in the Workforce

2017-01-19 00:00:00

As we honor Martin Luther King, Jr and his legacy this week, it’s important to examine the intersection of two issues that he devoted energy and attention to: race relations and economic equality. Though his fight for economic equality of the United States’ black citizens occurred decades ago, countless examples let us know the disparities still persist. One such example is in Michigan.

Traffic Stop Quotas Create Racial Profiling Hazard

2016-08-24 00:00:00

After a state trooper complained to the department of civil rights, the Michigan State Police issued a public statement in March 2016 admitting that troopers are evaluated in part on whether they make at least 70 percent of the collective average number of traffic stops made at the post to which they are assigned. After discussing the matter with police officials to learn more about the practice, the ACLU of Michigan wrote to the director of the Michigan State Police in August 2016 urging that this policy be terminated because of the risk that it would lead to racial profiling. Because of

Professor Denied Housing Based on Old Criminal Record

2015-09-02 00:00:00

Clifford Washington, an associate professor and human resources professional, was excited when he and his wife found the perfect home. But when they tried to buy it, Sun Homes, which owned the property, turned them away on the grounds that Mr. Washington has an old criminal record. The ACLU of Michigan wrote to Sun Homes informing them that a blanket policy denying housing to people with criminal records violates the federal Fair Housing Act because disproportionate numbers of African Americans, like Mr.

Police Misconduct Complaints Are Public Records

2016-05-11 00:00:00

Evan Stivers is a Michigan State University student who felt he had been mistreated by the East Lansing police officers who arrested him at a party after a noise complaint. Suspecting that his experience was not unique, he submitted a public records request for other citizen complaints that had been filed against the officers who were involved in his arrest. The East Lansing Police Department refused to disclose the complaints, arguing that they were “personnel records” exempt from disclosure under Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act.

Knock and Talk

2016-07-28 00:00:00

When the police don’t have enough evidence to get a search warrant, they sometimes employ a procedure they have nicknamed “knock and talk” to investigate further. Courts have ruled that a police officer has the same right as an everyday citizen (for example, a Girl Scout selling cookies) to visit your house, knock on your front door, and ask to speak with you. Unfortunately, abuses of the “knock and talk” technique are now rampant. In one case, when no one answered the front door, the police started walking around the property knocking on back doors and side doors until they spotted some

Fair Chance Ordinance for Detroit

2016-04-15 00:00:00

Each year the City of Detroit provides hundreds of thousands of dollars in development incentives in the form of tax credits, abatements, and/or grants to businesses and housing developers. Many of these companies and housing providers maintain blanket policies and practices that exclude individuals with criminal records from obtaining housing and employment.

A look back: Takeaways from ACLU of Michigan Law Enforcement Hearing

2016-12-09 00:00:00

A little more than a year ago, the ACLU of Michigan’s Racial Justice Project convened an important hearing on law enforcement best practices. At the time, the public’s alarm about police violence was at fever pitch, and to the extent the need for clarity about how to address this problem was not already apparent, the popular demand for answers drove the point home.

Fancher: Law Enforcement Must Move Past Conversations To Action

2016-10-27 00:00:00

As the black body count continues to mount, there are incessant calls for a “conversation” about how to improve police/community relations. As a consequence, well-meaning representatives of the community and law-enforcement executives are convening in meeting rooms around the country.

CINCINNATI—A federal appeals court unanimously declared today that portions of the Michigan sex offender registry are unconstitutional because they effectively punish registrants and do not have a corresponding public safety benefit.